


(i hate) dressing up

by sureimiku



Category: Tales of Vesperia
Genre: Birthday Parties, F/M, Fluff, Found Family, Gen, Shopping, dressing up, everyone else is mentioned - Freeform, rita does not like heels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-14
Updated: 2020-09-14
Packaged: 2021-03-07 06:00:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26468338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sureimiku/pseuds/sureimiku
Summary: Rita needs a little help getting ready for such a grand celebration.
Relationships: Judith & Rita Mordio, Judith/Yuri Lowell
Comments: 2
Kudos: 6





	(i hate) dressing up

**Author's Note:**

  * For [cinnamontoffee](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cinnamontoffee/gifts).



> this is a few days but happy birthday cinta, you're one of my closest friends and i just had to write you something :') i know you love rita & judith's friendship above all us, as well as yurijudith, so i wrote those two for you! i also incorporated a few headcanons we talked about before because they are very lovely
> 
> i hope you enjoy! <3 thank you for being such a kind friend

For her twentieth birthday, Estelle decided to hold a grand party at the Zaphias castle. Turning that age was a huge milestone in her life, and she deemed it proper to celebrate with a splendid gathering. Guests would be kept to a minimum, though; the princess only had an interest in inviting her close knit group of friends. 

Two weeks prior she sent an invitation out to her wished participants; as her knight, Flynn automatically accepted, followed by Karol and Patty. Raven declined the invitation, not because he wasn’t interested; he surprisingly had plans that day already. As for the other participants… Yuri couldn’t decline her offer, as one of her closest friends. 

“You want to go to this, Judy?” Yuri held up the formal invitation in one hand for her, his other hand busy in the kitchen. They’d gotten the invitation first thing in the morning— which was a good thing, actually, because they were already awake at the time. Judith tended to always wake up before her partner did, allowing her to get first dibs at the mail. She hadn’t paid attention to the small beige enveloped though, sealed and signed with an all-knowing style of handwriting. 

Judith read the small letter, which was brief with its contents. “I’d love to go. Small gatherings are just my thing, anyway.” She set the letter on the stone kitchen counter, opening the windows so the sunlight could spill into their home. The two of them resided in Dahngrest, near the outer ring of the city. This left the pair with an abundance of space and free of any noise or disturbances. To make use of that space, a carefully maintained garden sat right in the back lawn, and some exotic looking plants were placed in the front. Lilies hung from baskets, accompanied by ivy leaves and dotted white flowers. 

Judith loved to care for these flowers; it was a pastime she’d taken to liking ever since they moved here. Yuri came to appreciate it as well but instead kept a closer eye on the herbs, fruits, and veggies sprouting both in and outside their house. 

Days passed as the two of them resumed their daily lifestyle, waiting for the big day to come. It was the weekend, just close to the evening, when a gentle three knocks came at the door. Yuri was on the couch with his partner, loosely tugging at her indigo curls when the noise startled him. Who in the _world_ had business with them on the weekend?

Groaning, but careful to not wake Judith, Yuri trudged towards the door and expected to see some random guild member or a neighbor. What he met eyes with when he opened the door, though, was very unexpected. 

Rita stood there, her feet touching together and her hands around the straps of a backpack. What brought her all the way here from Aspio, Yuri had no idea. He could narrow the list down to simply wanting to stay over, but that was about it…

“Hi.” The mage’s voice looked up from the entrance pavement. “I need...a little help from you guys.” Not even wasting a second the man let her inside, softly closing the door to not wake Judith. When they were both settled he kept his voice to a minimum: “What’s up?” 

The backpack’s contents scattered across the table; the same envelope Yuri and Judith had received, and some pairs of clothes to change into. “About Estelle’s party coming up. I don’t know how to get ready for it. All the shoes at home are uncomfortable and make my feet ache, or they don’t look decent enough. I don’t think anything at home looks decent enough to appear in, actually... I assumed one of you guys could help me out.” Rita hadn’t told them that she was overdue to visit them as well, but she knew she was welcome here anytime she wanted. 

Yuri scratched the back of his head. “Oh, dressing up? Judith is better at that stuff than I am. But… I do know some stores you could check out around here.” He described the different boutiques she could check out; Dahngrest had quite the array of clothing and apparel stores to choose from for being a city of guilds. 

He didn’t realize how loud his voice had gotten when Judith stirred from her slumber and eventually woke up. She was quite surprised to see Rita here, especially near the end of summer. It must’ve been a hassle to get here, dealing with all the heat. 

A gentle smile took to her face once Yuri informed her of the situation. Judith had dressed up for occasions before; a casino outfit, a few party dresses, and other celebration attire hung in her closet. “You want to find a nice outfit for Estelle’s party?” Judith handed her a cup of water, seeing how scorching the sun had gotten outside. “I can handle that. Want to go first thing on Monday?” 

Rita nodded quickly and spread the bag's contents across the table. A neatly folded dress was emptied, colored a bright teal. She smoothed out a few wrinkles, unfolding to show the entire dress. “Could we work with this? It’s… one of the few dresses I’m actually fine with.” The krityan smiled and assured her she would be fine; there was no need to be entirely formal at Estelle’s party. It was only a few close friends plus some family, and not an entire bash. 

Rita was grateful these two were so accepting and understanding— and that they’d let her stay over whenever she wanted. It had taken their entire journey, but Rita had people she could consider very close, as her family. "Do you want to help with dinner in the meantime?" Yuri reached into the pantry for some spices and ingredients. "You can pick what vegetables we put in the stir fry tonight."

Yes, Rita was _very_ grateful for these two being accepting of her preferences.

* * *

“Do you like these, Rita?” Judith held a pair of turquoise heels, a white flower embedded on the tip of each shoe. It matched the dress the mage had brought, the same exact color painted all over. Rita hesitated but shook her head no. “I don’t do well with heels. Hurts my feet too much.” They were in their second shoe store for the day, attempting to find something that would best fit Rita’s needs, while addressing the formal aspect of the party. 

Judith contemplated for a moment, then strode to the neighboring shoe aisle. No heels here, just pumps and other formal shoes that wouldn’t make Rita strain. Maybe flats would work? The older woman presented the girl another box, its contents being a pair of low flats. It resembled the heels they saw earlier, just without the inclined height it provided. 

“Yes, these are perfect!” Rita couldn’t contain her delight. She’d been looking all over Zaphias and Aspio’s neighboring towns for apparel, yet none of them had the right things she was looking for; something dressy, something she would look decent in without hurting at the party. 

After checking out, the girls went shopping for other little accessories to complement the outfit; they walked out with a floral headpiece and a bright yellow cardigan to cover her shoulders. Dahngrest not only had possibly the best fashion spots in the area, but the sunset that took over the city was awe inspiring. The dark purples and pinks that painted the sky was an incredible sight, accompanied by lit-up houses and the chatter of guilds. It made Dahngrest a very comforting city; Rita could see why Judith and Yuri decided to reside here. 

When they got home, Yuri had prepared dinner already. In fact, Repede was eating away when they entered the house, and Rita swore she saw him wag his tail a bit excitedly. She wasn’t an animal person, not at all, but Yuri’s companion was an exception; that went to show how far their friendship went and how high her level of trust was with them. 

“So,” Yuri started, finishing his last forkful of pasta, “you guys found stuff?” Judith held up a bright colored bag with a smirk on her face. “Got everything checked off. We just have to figure out how to do makeup and such, but I think we’re good to go.” Rita grinned at the woman; for someone she once couldn’t trust, now she felt like she could help her with anything in the world. 

A few hours later, Rita slipped into bed. There was a vacant room in the house, which was lowkey _her_ bedroom; staying over so many times and leaving things by accident had turned the once empty room into a mess of belongings. That was Rita’s style anyway, though; never leaving a spot clean. 

Lights were strung across the room, a few potted plants sitting on various shelves. A dragon plushie sat at the heart of the bed, the mage immediately snatching it as she hid under the covers. 

As she drifted off to sleep, Rita felt relaxed for once. Not having to worry about looking decent, not having to worry about being the odd one out. She was going to attend a close friend’s birthday party, pleased with her appearance. 

* * *

“Are you done putting on the blush?” The mage was already growing tired of sitting still. Zaphias castle had rows and rows of rooms, and the pair went ahead and borrowed a vacant one to do makeup and hair. “Yes, that’s it. You don’t want to overdo it with too much blush, so I put a little bit. You can’t really notice it, anyway.” 

Judith moved on to style Rita’s hair (she didn’t do much; Rita requested that the changes were kept to a minimum). The most she did was straighten and smooth it with a brush. The finishing touch was the floral headpiece, colored a light pink and dotted with some yellows and whites. 

“I bet Estelle is going to look lovely,” Rita started as they made way towards the central castle area. “I’ve seen her wardrobe before and god, does she have the arrangement of dresses.” When Rita came here last year to visit, the princess itched to show the mage her collection— her closet was full of ball gowns, casual dresses, castle dresses… they were separated by occasion, as well as color. 

“I think you look amazing tonight too,” spoke Judith. “She’ll be so happy that you showed up.” 

Rita hid her face but smiled, “Thanks. I really appreciate you helping me with this kind of stuff.” Aside from Estelle’s birthday parties, Rita barely went out of her way to attend special events; not even the special holiday parade in Zaphias, or the new book clubs Aspio had arranged. Being cooped up inside and studying was one of Rita’s defining traits, as much as people insisted on her getting out of that stuffy house. 

“It’s no problem,” Judith gave her a warm smile and patted her back. She looked beautiful herself; purple curls bounced off her shoulders, her face caressed with a light blush, and a light purple halter dress hugged her body. 

Without any hesitation, she wrapped both hands around the golden door handles. The party was to be held in the ballroom, in contrast to the designated celebration areas the castle had. ”Ready?” 

For once, Rita thought, _maybe it’s not so hard dressing up like this._ Getting excited about a party was a feeling she hadn’t experienced before, but the fast beating of her heart, the thrill that sat in her chest and waiting to jump out once those doors opened— it was _amazing_. Her friends gave her the gentle push she needed and boosted her confidence, almost enough to make her attend another celebration in the future. 

The grand doors to the hall opened, and Rita stepped forward. 


End file.
